The Development of Competent Marketing Professionals

Abstract

The process of transition from university undergraduate to business professional is a crucial stage in the development of a business career. This study examines both graduate and employer perspectives on the essential skills and knowledge needed by marketing professionals to successfully perform their roles. From in-depth interviews with 14 graduates and 14 employers, it is apparent that the transition trajectory is both diverse and dynamic. The first main finding is that the transition from marketing graduate to employee is marked by a lack of skills to organically “fit the organization.” Another finding is related to specific competencies such as the ability to have and, most importantly, apply marketing knowledge. These findings have strong implications for the development and redesign of curricula to produce highly skilled, employable graduates and to assist universities in retaining a competitive advantage within the tertiary sector.

Exploring the Divides Among Students, Educators, and Practitioners in the Use of Digital Media as a Pedagogical Tool

“…Marketing graduates often lack the skills needed for employment (Walker et al, 2009). Maintaining the link between marketing theory and marketing practice has therefore become even more important in module development.…”

O Entendimento Dos Estudantes Dos Cursos Técnicos De Administração Sobre as Atividades Realizadas Pelo Marketing

“…Há um consenso entre os educadores de Marketing que eles devem se esforçar para proporcionar aos alunos uma experiência educacional que os preparem para carreiras de sucesso (Walker et al, 2009;Ardley & Taylor, 2010). Sua educação não pode simplesmente envolver a aquisição de um conjunto de conhecimento, mas também aumentar a sua empregabilidade, dotando-os de habilidades e competências relevantes para o trabalho (Gibson-Sweet et al, 2010;.…”

“…Sua educação não pode simplesmente envolver a aquisição de um conjunto de conhecimento, mas também aumentar a sua empregabilidade, dotando-os de habilidades e competências relevantes para o trabalho (Gibson-Sweet et al, 2010;. Estudiosos têm debatido há muito tempo o valor comparativo do desenvolvimento de habilidades de marketing versus conhecimento (O'brien & Deans, 1995;Davis et al, 2002;Walker et al, 2009;Pefanis Schlee & Harich, 2010 …”

“…Para Brown, "vários ensaios sobre este assunto observam a fraca ligação entre o estudo de marketing e prática de marketing" (Brown, 2005, p.3). Opiniões variadas e a dificuldade de isolar a função de marketing das operações das empresas (Hill et al, 1998) têm contribuído para o problema de identificar as competências específicas requeridas para um profissional de marketing (Walker et al, 2009). …”

Designing relevant marketing curriculum: The state of the nation

“…Yet, research suggests that despite such overarching reviews, marketing graduates do not possess the skills that employers need in a fast-moving technological environment, such as IT skills, web communications, managing databases and using analytical tools (Harrigan & Hulbert, 2011;Walker, Tsarenko, Wagstaff, Powell, Steel & Brace-Govan, 2009). Employers express their frustration that it is the practitioners and professional body organisations who are leading the way in training marketers in the nuts and bolts of the trade rather than higher education institutions (Harrigan & Hulbert, 2011).…”